On Billerica center plan, majority vote is 'no comment'

BILLERICA -- Businesses along the Town Common, most affected by the $14 million town center redesign project and a pending referendum, have little to say about the proposal.

Manny Lantzakis, owner and manager of bother Liberty Bell Roast Beef and Sweet Liberty Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream, politely declined an invitation to speak about the impact to his business. A spokesman for the Burns & Egan Realty Group said the business prefers not to get involved. Ditto for the response from the man working dayside at Shoe and Leather Repair, a shoebox-sized shop on the corner of Boston and Andover roads.

A handwritten message left Wednesday afternoon with the bartender at Center Cafe, addressed to owner Richard Cooke, has yet to be returned.

There has been one exception. Bob Mallock, who owns Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen along with partner Larry Colleran, responded with references to a "snowball" and a place called "Hell."

If two-thirds of the town's registered voters decide on the Nov. 19 referendum to support the town center overhaul, Mallock is not confident his business will be able to weather a year's worth of construction headaches and a reduction in the amount of streetside parking spaces.

"The only part I find no argument with is the safety issue," he said.

Mallock acknowledged that accessing the Town Common can be dangerous. But he added that the traffic pattern does not need to be changed in order to make it safer.

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"Just re-do the crosswalk system and the lights," he said. "The bottom line is that this will put me out of business."

The proposed change that will affect businesses like Mangia Mangia the most is the elimination of the median separating busy Boston Road from the side street running parallel. It's the street where angled parking spaces can be accessed. Under the plan, the median would disappear along with the angled spaces.

The side street is crucial for deliveries, according to Mallock. He said officials will find that out "as soon as the Sysco food distribution truck pulls up outside my shop for a delivery and blocks an entire lane of traffic."

As for parking, approximately seven parallel parking spaces would instead be created. The existing 50-space lot behind Brainerd Insurance Agency would be reconfigured to improve capacity, but Mallock said his business does not draw many customers from that area.

Boston Road would return to two-way flow, with two lanes running north and two lanes running south.

"I can't see how passengers on the driver's side can exit safely," said Mallock.

Angled spaces would be available on the west side of the Common, across the street from the library. Concord Road would remain one-way but traffic would flow in the opposite direction. A raised crosswalk between the library and the Common would ideally deter speeding. Another crosswalk accessing the business side of Boston Road would be signal-controlled.

The southbound side of the road will be reconfigured, creating a one-way access road to the Senior Center, library and other buildings.

Mallock doubts that anyone will use parking spaces on the opposite side of the Common to visit his business.

"We love that little restaurant, we put food on our tables and hire local employees and it could all go down the drain," Mallock said. "It could be a real kick-in-the-teeth."

There is no love lost between Mallock and Town Manager John Curran. Curran has said he opened the lines of discussion to hear feedback from business owners but Mallock maintained that nobody listened to him.

"He doesn't know what it's like to have to write paychecks from his personal checkbook," Mallock said. "This is a guy who has never run a business in his life."

Curran, however, has argued that the proposal will actually work to reinvigorate the town center. Sidewalk space will increase, utilities will be buried underground and town officials have said it will now be safer to access the Common.

"We'll tough it out as long as we can if this goes through," said Mallock. "But people aren't thinking about the unintended consequences."

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